BUTTERWORTH: Over 150 locals are objecting to the suggestion to rename Jalan Pantai Bersih here, which makes up part of the road to Dragon Temple Lane (Jalan Tokong Naga).
Led by Pembela, a coalition of over 50 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Malaysia, protesters chanted in unison to retain the road's name, citing that there was no need for sudden changes.
Penang Pembela chairman Azmi Jaafar said the change was unnecessary as the majority of the residents in the area were Muslim.
"Based on the demographics and statistics, the population of Pantai Bersih is 85% Muslim.
"The residents live in peace here in the community and respect each other. It would be seen as insensitive to rename a road after a temple in a Muslim-majority area.
"We believe that Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow would understand our sentiments and the sensitivities of those from various races and religious backgrounds here," he said during his speech at the protest held on Thursday (Jan 22).
Azmi added that residents should be consulted before such a change is made.
"We know the suggestion is to rename a stretch that spans around 300m of the road, which has a temple on it, but there are residents who live along the road as well.
"It would be best to ask them (the residents) for their opinion before one suggests the name be changed.
"Anything done otherwise would have a negative impact on our impression of the state government," said Azmi, who was joined by various representatives from local NGOs.
He added that they had no intentions to interfere with the temple.
"There is a small lane right next to the temple, and we have no objections if they want to rename it Jalan Tokong Naga.
"We only object to the road in front of the temple being renamed as it is part of Jalan Pantai Bersih," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that a 155-year-old temple found itself at the centre of controversy after it proposed to reinstate the road where it is located to its original name – Dragon Temple Lane.
Currently, the 300m-long inland road is known as Jalan Pantai Bersih. It shares the same name as the main coastal road to which it connects at an intersection.
It is learnt that the proposal came from the committee of Thean Hock Keong Temple, which drew objections from locals, who argued that the name ‘Jalan Pantai Bersih’ is deeply rooted in the community’s collective memory.
Meanwhile, state infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari noted that the Dragon Temple Lane was never formally gazetted.
“Some people born there have ‘Dragon Temple Lane’ or ‘Jalan Tokong Naga’ listed as their birthplace because they wrote down whatever name they knew. But in truth, that short road was never officially gazetted,” he said.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow urged the public not to be influenced by inaccurate information.
“What is being considered is only that 300m intersecting road in front of the temple. The state has never considered renaming the whole of Jalan Pantai Bersih,” he said.
